Intimate, dramatic, and assertive, Serena Isioma’s empowering single “King” comes to life with soaring guitars and stunning vocals that delve into the depths of the soul and one’s self-identity.
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Stream: “King” – Serena Isioma
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Chicago genre-bender Serena Isioma starts off her sophomore EP The Leo Sun Sets with a resounding, scene-setting roar: Two and a half minutes of uninterrupted self-empowerment that captures the artist in a vulnerable moment of reckoning. Intimate, dramatic, and assertive, “King” comes to life with soaring guitars and stunning vocals that delve into the depths of the soul as Serena Isioma projects a strong image of self-assurance, self-worth, and self-confidence. One, two, three – get sexy!
It’s my downfall
I’ve fallen for you and you
Oh why can’t I choose
I won’t run for it
I won’t hide
I will not change my lifestyle
These streets don’t sleep at night
You wouldn’t get it anyways
Mommy and daddy have it paid for
We’re kissing in Dior on the floor of your penthouse
More give me more I want the crown
King me
I’m the king of me
Released as a single in early October 2020, “King” (featuring Saint Lewis) is as unapologetic as it is utterly enthralling. The first track off Serena Isioma’s The Leo Sun Sets EP (independently released December 2, 2020) makes an unimpeachable entrance with a loud, throaty cough – the quintessential 2020 trigger, if you will – followed by a quick count-in to a series of driving beats, pulsing bass hits, and vivid, evocative vocals. Isioma wastes no time in setting a scene of romantic strife, but underpinning a story of push-and-pull intimacy is a deeper upheaval.
Hailing from Chicago, 20-year-old Serena Isioma (she/they) has garnered a considerable following over the past eighteen months. August 2019’s debut single “Do I Make You Nervous” introduced the first-generation Nigerian-American artist’s singular style: A distinctive blend of indie pop, psychedelia, hip-hop, R&B, alternative, jazz, and more – all put through an ingenious musical blender, where expectations are subverted and norms ignored. Isioma released two EPs – Sensitive and The Leo Sun Sets – in March and December 2020 respectively. Her first EP’s viral title and opening track “Sensitive” has racked up a mind-boggling 22+ million streams, and if precedent is to be followed, then “King” may very well follow suit.
Isioma recently told Wonderland Magazine that The Leo Sun Sets “is all about me coming to terms with my identity and learning to love myself.” With the spirit of this overarching message in mind, “King” is as much an opening statement as it is a true thesis. Raw and polished, dynamic and unrelenting, the song hits hard as Isioma plants two feet squarely in the ground, holding fast to deep roots. The song’s catchy chorus doubles as a powerful mantra of self-worth and affirmation.
Hey king me
(Shorty give me faith)
I’m the king of me
(Shorty give me faith)
Hey king me
(Shorty give me faith)
I’m the king of me
(Shorty give me faith)
“’King’ is about remembering your worth,” Isioma shares. “I used to have a lot of rich friends. I would do anything to please them so they would let me live their lifestyles. After cutting those friends off then going through a period of isolation, I saw history repeating itself when I got in a new entanglement.”
We’re kissing on the floor of your penthouse
Like a Leo star you roar you are so loud
I can’t keep it down
Gotta keep it up
For a brand new truck
Yup yuh
I want it all
I want it all
I don’t need you
I don’t need this
There’s one king, me
I’m the king of me
Isioma’s words fly into view like diary-worthy entries in a coming-of-age tale. “King” is a song and story in motion: We are each a work in progress, and somehow Isioma manages to capture the transience of our forever-in-flux identities, while holding fast to the concrete qualities that don’t change – those that make up our core. “King” is a roar, for sure – an empowering roar that sends electricity, rather than shivers, down the spine.
A definitive artist to watch, Serena Isioma is one-of-a-kind; she’s accomplished something truly remarkable between Sensitive and The Leo Sun Sets, and we cannot wait to see where she goes from here.
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Stream: “King” – Serena Isioma
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